Security Guard Resume Sample

1. Highlight how responsible you are

Security guards (or “security officers” if you want to make the tone a bit more formal) are responsible for the well-being of a person, establishment or event, so it’s important that your employer sincerely trusts you.

One way to emphasize this in your resume is to illustrate past cases of you being responsible. Work experience is ideal, but if you’re fresh out of school and lack experience you can describe your responsibilities as a part of extra-curricular organizations or clubs, like this:

“Student Body Vice President for two years, where I was responsible for mediating problems between students and helping distribute an annual $40,000 budget”

This single sentence shows that 1) you have a history of maturely handling money, and 2) that you can work well with people. This is a lot better than avoiding the topic of work experience altogether.

2. Use a resume profile

A resume profile, also known as a professional profile, is an excellent way to quickly show your worth to an employer. More specifically, it can be used to efficiently convey your experience, areas of expertise, skills and achievements at the top of your resume. There are four primary components required to make a strong profile.

The first part is where you give the employer a glimpse of your most relevant experience. You can start with your educational background if you are lacking in the experience department.

• Licensed security guard with 10+ years experience working both public security and contract jobs.

In the second part, highlight your area of expertise or specialization within the field to which you’re applying.This is a critical piece of information because it gives a hiring manager an idea of what you as an individual can bring to the company.

• Excel at supervising teams and coordinating patrols.

Part three is where you cover your skill-set, and any certifications you may have picked up in that field.

• CPP and PSP certified, well-versed in security technologies and fluent in both English and Spanish.

Finally, in part four you lay down your most impressive career achievements (one or two is enough). This is a great opportunity to quantify your experience, and show how you made a positive impact on the company numbers– financially or in other ways.

For a security guard this might be the size of the area you patrolled, your high success rate (at reducing crime in your jurisdiction), or how you made the work environment a safer place for your colleagues and clients.

• Implemented four smartphone applications that together helped reduce response time by an average of five minutes and cut guard casualties over 50%.

3. Certifications are important

Depending on the job you’re applying for, security guards require different permits and certifications to be qualified. Research what might be necessary at the places you want to apply, and make sure you are prepared to go get the certifications you’re lacking.

4. Remember to include numbers

It’s a lot easier to list “leadership skills” on a resume than it is to prove it with concrete information. If you can quantify your past career successes, your resume is going to rock. How can you quantify these experiences?

The easiest numerical data we always include on a resume is past work experience. If you’re struggling to think of more numbers, try answering the following questions:

• How big was the team you worked with? (did you have any leadership roles?)
• How large (in square feet) was the property you were responsible for?
• How many security cameras were you responsible for keeping track of?
• What was the value of the property you were in charge of securing?
• How many criminals did you detain?
• How many promotions did you receive during the time you worked for your past employer?

If you can answer some of the questions above and fit them into your resume, it’s going to be a huge help toward getting an interview because hiring managers love concrete details. A few numbers can go a long way.

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